Hello, I'm Kyle Benning, OEM sales manager at Viking Pump. Data centers across the globe rely on fuel transfer pumps to maintain operation. I want to highlight some of our pump technologies that are ideal for this critical process. Data centers are essential for storing and processing information in our rapidly growing technological world. Small data centers may consume 10 to 50kW of power, while larger facilities can exceed 100MW. In the U.S. alone, roughly 3% of our power consumption goes to powering these facilities.

This is a gear pump, a type of rotary positive displacement pump. Its tight-fitting clearances allow it to evacuate air in the suction line to prime the pump. And once primed, it's capable of pulling even higher vacuums. This ability to self-prime is key in applications like unloading drums, totes, rail cars, and barges. But as good as this pump is at pulling the liquid in, it's always going to be limited and not based on the pump. It's based on an invisible force pushing the liquid in from the outside, and that's atmospheric pressure.

Viking Pump is the global leader in positive displacement pumping solutions and we proudly manufacture and assemble our products in Cedar Falls, Iowa. With our own dedicated foundry and machine shop, we build our products from start to finish to our own high standards. This vertical integration gives us better control of our supply lines, enhances our ability to respond to change, and creates stability for our partners and customers. We’ve been centrally located in Iowa since 1911. We're proud of that history. We're proud of the work we've done, still do, and will do together.

Mechanical seals are extremely common in the pumping industry - and come in a wide range of materials and options. In its simplest form, a single component mechanical seal has two faces that contact and create a seal. These seal faces are lapped to a smooth, high quality finish. One face rotates with the pump shaft - while the other is held stationary in the pump housing. Once a small amount of process liquid reaches the seal faces, a hydrodynamic liquid film is created - this is what forms the seal and lubricates the faces.